Men 100m Backstroke Swimming Olympic Games 1948 London, Great Britain - Friday, 6th August

Men 100m Backstroke Swimming Olympic Games 1948 London, Great Britain - Friday, 6th August - Gold Medal: Allen Stack, United States

Final 20:00		time	gap	L	Y
1. Allen Stack	United States	1:06.4		5	20
2. Robert Cowell	United States	1:06.5	+0.1s	6	24
3. Georges Vallerey Jr.	France	1:07.8	+1.4s	4	20
4. Mario Chaves	Argentina	1:09.0	+2.6s	1	_
4. Clemente Mejia	Mexico	1:09.0	+2.6s	8	19
6. Johannes Wild	South Africa	1:09.1	+2.7s	2	19
7. William John Brockway	Great Britain	1:09.2	+2.8s	3	19
8. Albert Kinnear	Great Britain	1:09.6	+3.2s	7	24

39 Competitors from 24 Nations. Empire Pool.

World Record: Allen Stack, United States 1:04.0 New Haven, United States 23rd June 1948

Olympic Record: Adolph Kiefer, United States 1:05.9 Berlin, Germany 14th August 1936

Todor 66	index Swimming OG
index London 1948	index Swimming London 1948


Men 100m Freestyle	Women 100m Freestyle
Men 400m Freestyle	Women 400m Freestyle
Men 1500m Freestyle
Men 100m Backstroke	Women 100m Backstroke
Men 200m Breaststroke	Women 200m Breaststroke
Men 4x200m Freestyle Relay	Women 4x100m Freestyle Relay

1936 Men 100m Backstroke

Men 100m Backstroke History

1952 Men 100m Backstroke

Earlier in the year Allan Stack had broken Adolph Kiefer’s twelve year old world record for this event and the stylish American was considered a strong favourite to follow Kiefer as Olympic champion.
Stack was fastest in both heat and semi-final but had a nasty surprise as he lined up for the start of the final. As he waited in the water he attempted to tighten his swimming trunks and felt the cord break in his hands and his trunks begin to slip off. Fortunately the starter allowed him to leave the pool and replace his trunks and avoid what could have been an embarrassing situation for him. The final turned out to be much closer than had been anticipated with Stack’s fellow American, Robert Cowell, pressing him throughout and even leading at one stage. The difference between gold medal winner Stack and Cowell in silver was just a tenth of a second.

Semi-Finals (1/2) - Thursday, 5th August 22:00

Best 8 times advanced to Final.

Semi 1		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Allen Stack	United States	1:07.3		5	20	1.
2. Georges Vallerey Jr.	France	1:08.3	+1.0s	4	20	2.
3. William John Brockway	Great Britain	1:09.1	+1.8s	6	19	4.
4. Clemente Mejia	Mexico	1:09.6	+2.3s	3	19	7.
5. Mario Chaves	Argentina	1:09.8	+2.5s	7	_	8.
6. Paulo Williemsens Da Fonseca Y	Brazil	1:09.8	+2.5s	2	_	9.
7. Bruce Bourke	Australia	1:11.2	+3.9s	8	19	12.
8. Cornelis Marinus Kievit	Netherlands	1:11.3	+4.0s	1	17	13.

Semi 2		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Robert Cowell	United States	1:08.5	+1.2s	5	24	3.
2. Albert Kinnear	Great Britain	1:09.2	+1.9s	3	24	5.
2. Johannes Wild	South Africa	1:09.2	+1.9s	4	19	5.
4. Howard Fenno Patterson	United States	1:09.9	+2.6s	6	20	10.
5. Helio De Oliveira E Silva	Brazil	1:10.1	+2.8s	7	22	11.
6. Lucien Zins	France	1:11.5	+4.2s	2	25	14.
7. Ilo Monteiro Da Fonseca	Brazil	1:11.6	+4.3s	1	18	15.
8. Rene Pirolley	France	1:12.9	+5.6s	8	16	16.

Heats - Wednesday, 4th August 15:00

Best 16 times advanced to Semi-Finals (1/2).

Heat 6		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Georges Vallerey Jr.	France	1:07.4	+0.8s	7	20	3.
2. Howard Fenno Patterson	United States	1:09.3	+2.7s	3	20	6.
3. Helio De Oliveira E Silva	Brazil	1:10.5	+3.9s	5	22	11.
4. Federico Neumayer	Argentina	1:11.8	+5.2s	4	24	17.
5. Peter Mingie	Canada	1:13.2	+6.6s	2	17	22.
6. Hans Blumer	Switzerland	1:18.5	+11.9s	6	_	33.
-. Iftikhar Ahmed Shah	Pakistan	DNS		1	_	-.

Heat 5		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Robert Cowell	United States	1:06.9	+0.3s	7	24	2.
2. Rene Pirolley	France	1:11.4	+4.8s	5	16	16.
3. Donald Shanks	Bermuda	1:17.1	+10.5s	1	_	32.
4. Dorri Abdel Kader El Said	Egypt	1:19.0	+12.4s	3	21	34.
5. Gudmundur Ingolfsson	Iceland	1:19.4	+12.8s	4	19	35.
-. Laszlo Gyongyosi	Hungary	DNS		2	20	-.
-. Helmut Koppelstatter	Austria	DNS		6	18	-.

Heat 4		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Allen Stack	United States	1:06.6		6	20	1.
2. Albert Kinnear	Great Britain	1:09.7	+3.1s	1	24	8.
3. Paulo Williemsens Da Fonseca Y	Brazil	1:10.0	+3.4s	2	_	10.
4. Thomas Philip Summers	Great Britain	1:11.2	+4.6s	7	24	14.
5. Gyula Valent	Hungary	1:11.8	+5.2s	3	21	17.
6. Manuel Guerra Perez	Spain	1:14.8	+8.2s	4	20	28.
7. Pratip Mitra	India	1:24.5	+17.9s	5	_	38.

Heat 3		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. William John Brockway	Great Britain	1:09.2	+2.6s	4	19	5.
2. Clemente Mejia	Mexico	1:09.5	+2.9s	6	19	7.
3. Mario Chaves	Argentina	1:09.7	+3.1s	1	_	8.
4. Lucien Zins	France	1:10.9	+4.3s	5	25	13.
5. Mario Simas	Portugal	1:12.8	+6.2s	3	26	20.
6. Fritz Zwazl	Austria	1:13.5	+6.9s	2	22	23.
7. Nicolaos Melafonidis	Greece	1:22.0	+15.4s	7	_	37.

Heat 2		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Bruce Bourke	Australia	1:11.3	+4.7s	1	19	15.
2. Ilo Monteiro Da Fonseca	Brazil	1:11.9	+5.3s	3	18	19.
3. Jiri Kovar	Czechoslovakia	1:12.9	+6.3s	7	_	21.
4. Carlos Noreiga	Uruguay	1:15.0	+8.4s	2	26	29.
6. Tonatiuh Gutierrez	Mexico	1:15.6	+9.0s	6	18	30.
5. Martin Lunden	Sweden	1:15.6	+9.0s	5	23	30.
7. Jaffar Ali Shah	Pakistan	1:30.2	+23.6s	4	_	39.

Heat 1		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Johannes Wild	South Africa	1:08.5	+1.9s	6	19	4.
2. Cornelis Marinus Kievit	Netherlands	1:10.8	+4.2s	1	17	12.
3. Jose Vegazzi	Argentina	1:13.8	+7.2s	5	_	24.
4. Francisco Calamita Gonzalez	Spain	1:14.2	+7.6s	3	25	25.
5. Eric Jubb	Canada	1:14.3	+7.7s	4	_	26.
6. Per-Olof Olsson	Sweden	1:14.6	+8.0s	7	29	27.
7. Khamlillal Shah	India	1:19.9	+13.3s	2	27	36.

Final 20:00		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Allen Stack	United States	1:06.4		5	20	1.
2. Robert Cowell	United States	1:06.5	+0.1s	6	24	2.
3. Georges Vallerey Jr.	France	1:07.8	+1.4s	4	20	3.
4. Mario Chaves	Argentina	1:09.0	+2.6s	1	_	4.
4. Clemente Mejia	Mexico	1:09.0	+2.6s	8	19	4.
6. Johannes Wild	South Africa	1:09.1	+2.7s	2	19	6.
7. William John Brockway	Great Britain	1:09.2	+2.8s	3	19	7.
8. Albert Kinnear	Great Britain	1:09.6	+3.2s	7	24	8.
Semis		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Allen Stack	United States	1:07.3		5	20	1.
2. Georges Vallerey Jr.	France	1:08.3	+1.0s	4	20	2.
1. Robert Cowell	United States	1:08.5	+1.2s	5	24	3.
3. William John Brockway	Great Britain	1:09.1	+1.8s	6	19	4.
2. Albert Kinnear	Great Britain	1:09.2	+1.9s	3	24	5.
2. Johannes Wild	South Africa	1:09.2	+1.9s	4	19	5.
4. Clemente Mejia	Mexico	1:09.6	+2.3s	3	19	7.
5. Mario Chaves	Argentina	1:09.8	+2.5s	7	_	8.
6. Paulo Williemsens Da Fonseca Y	Brazil	1:09.8	+2.5s	2	_	9.
4. Howard Fenno Patterson	United States	1:09.9	+2.6s	6	20	10.
5. Helio De Oliveira E Silva	Brazil	1:10.1	+2.8s	7	22	11.
7. Bruce Bourke	Australia	1:11.2	+3.9s	8	19	12.
8. Cornelis Marinus Kievit	Netherlands	1:11.3	+4.0s	1	17	13.
6. Lucien Zins	France	1:11.5	+4.2s	2	25	14.
7. Ilo Monteiro Da Fonseca	Brazil	1:11.6	+4.3s	1	18	15.
8. Rene Pirolley	France	1:12.9	+5.6s	8	16	16.
Heats		time	gap	L	Y	Rk
1. Allen Stack	United States	1:06.6		6	20	1.
1. Robert Cowell	United States	1:06.9	+0.3s	7	24	2.
1. Georges Vallerey Jr.	France	1:07.4	+0.8s	7	20	3.
1. Johannes Wild	South Africa	1:08.5	+1.9s	6	19	4.
1. William John Brockway	Great Britain	1:09.2	+2.6s	4	19	5.
2. Howard Fenno Patterson	United States	1:09.3	+2.7s	3	20	6.
2. Clemente Mejia	Mexico	1:09.5	+2.9s	6	19	7.
3. Mario Chaves	Argentina	1:09.7	+3.1s	1	_	8.
2. Albert Kinnear	Great Britain	1:09.7	+3.1s	1	24	8.
3. Paulo Williemsens Da Fonseca Y	Brazil	1:10.0	+3.4s	2	_	10.
3. Helio De Oliveira E Silva	Brazil	1:10.5	+3.9s	5	22	11.
2. Cornelis Marinus Kievit	Netherlands	1:10.8	+4.2s	1	17	12.
4. Lucien Zins	France	1:10.9	+4.3s	5	25	13.
4. Thomas Philip Summers	Great Britain	1:11.2	+4.6s	7	24	14.
1. Bruce Bourke	Australia	1:11.3	+4.7s	1	19	15.
2. Rene Pirolley	France	1:11.4	+4.8s	5	16	16.
4. Federico Neumayer	Argentina	1:11.8	+5.2s	4	24	17.
5. Gyula Valent	Hungary	1:11.8	+5.2s	3	21	17.
2. Ilo Monteiro Da Fonseca	Brazil	1:11.9	+5.3s	3	18	19.
5. Mario Simas	Portugal	1:12.8	+6.2s	3	26	20.
3. Jiri Kovar	Czechoslovakia	1:12.9	+6.3s	7	_	21.
5. Peter Mingie	Canada	1:13.2	+6.6s	2	17	22.
6. Fritz Zwazl	Austria	1:13.5	+6.9s	2	22	23.
3. Jose Vegazzi	Argentina	1:13.8	+7.2s	5	_	24.
4. Francisco Calamita Gonzalez	Spain	1:14.2	+7.6s	3	25	25.
5. Eric Jubb	Canada	1:14.3	+7.7s	4	_	26.
6. Per-Olof Olsson	Sweden	1:14.6	+8.0s	7	29	27.
6. Manuel Guerra Perez	Spain	1:14.8	+8.2s	4	20	28.
4. Carlos Noreiga	Uruguay	1:15.0	+8.4s	2	26	29.
6. Tonatiuh Gutierrez	Mexico	1:15.6	+9.0s	6	18	30.
5. Martin Lunden	Sweden	1:15.6	+9.0s	5	23	30.
3. Donald Shanks	Bermuda	1:17.1	+10.5s	1	_	32.
6. Hans Blumer	Switzerland	1:18.5	+11.9s	6	_	33.
4. Dorri Abdel Kader El Said	Egypt	1:19.0	+12.4s	3	21	34.
5. Gudmundur Ingolfsson	Iceland	1:19.4	+12.8s	4	19	35.
7. Khamlillal Shah	India	1:19.9	+13.3s	2	27	36.
7. Nicolaos Melafonidis	Greece	1:22.0	+15.4s	7	_	37.
7. Pratip Mitra	India	1:24.5	+17.9s	5	_	38.
7. Jaffar Ali Shah	Pakistan	1:30.2	+23.6s	4	_	39.
-. Laszlo Gyongyosi	Hungary	DNS		2	20	-.
-. Helmut Koppelstatter	Austria	DNS		6	18	-.
-. Iftikhar Ahmed Shah	Pakistan	DNS		1	_	-.

Prepared and maintained by Todor Krastev

todor1966@yahoo.com
Last updated: 17 Apr 2023
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